Fatherly Concern
by Cheru-chan1316
Summary: Roy wants kids - Ed panics.


AN: As of now this is a little snippet of an idea with no promises of continuation, though the muse in the corner of my mind keeps nudging this plot bunny, recognizing its potential.

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><p><strong>Fatherly Concern<strong>

Roy swore as he tried to balance two bursting bags of groceries and unlock the apartment door. With some careful juggling the door swung open and the dark-haired alchemist shuffled in, kicking the door shut and instinctually tossing his keys onto the small table in the entryway. The sudden movement upset some cans causing green beans and mandarin oranges to roll down the hallway with a thunk. Roy swore again and chased after them.

"Roy? It that you?" a voice called from the bedroom.

Balancing the bags of groceries on his knee, Roy bent down and scooped up the rouge cans, glancing up in surprise as his lover's voice called out to him. "Yeah, it's me," Roy called as he heard hurried footsteps coming his way. "I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow morning," he murmured as his blond rounded the corner.

"I wasn't," Edward said, raising an eyebrow in amusement as the older man tried to get up from his position on the floor, "but it was kind of obvious that Al and Winry wanted some time alone with the baby, so I left a little early," the blond explained, taking pity on Roy and commandeering one of the unruly paper sacks.

"Thanks," Roy said, flashing Ed an appreciative smile. The two made their way into the kitchen and Ed immediately began putting away their provisions. The dark eyed man watched the boy for a moment, pulling him into a firm embrace once he was within arms reach. "I missed you, you know?" he whispered as he looked fondly down at the young man in his arms.

Edward flashed him a stunning smile, the kind that often left Roy breathless, and he stood on his tip toes to bestow a chaste kiss on his lover's lips. "I missed you too."

"So, is the baby adorable? Do you want one now?" Roy teased, brushing Ed's long golden bangs back from his face.

Ed chuckled and pulled away, continuing the task of putting their kitchen to rights. "It's Al's baby, so of course she's adorable. But no, I do _not_ want one. I'm perfectly content being called uncle. Daddy would just be weird," Ed said, making a funny face at the thought as he finished placing the fruit in the basket on the kitchen table.

Roy felt his heart sink a little at Ed's confession. While it was true he didn't want kids at the moment, he did want them eventually. He was hoping that Edward going to see his brother and Winry's new baby girl would get his blond thinking about starting a family together. Obviously they would have to adopt. Roy realized that Ed was still pretty young, twenty one in fact, and he could understand why he wouldn't like the thought of being a parent at that age, but Roy wasn't getting any younger, and he was beginning to worry that if he didn't convince Edward soon, his chance for being able to raise children would pass.

Edward noticed his dark eyed lover's muted disappointment and froze. "Roy? You – you don't want kids….do you?" the blond asked hesitantly. Roy had never seemed like a family man to him, but the sad look on his partner's face suggested that perhaps this was one thing that the younger alchemist had interpreted incorrectly about the older male.

Roy shrugged his shoulders and flashed a quick smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. "Not if you don't want them, Ed," the older man murmured, pulling out two boxes of cereal from the paper sacks and placing them on their respected shelves. Ed's fruit cereal was on a lower shelf than Roy's wheat bran and rasins, something the older alchemist loved to tease his blond about.

The blond cornered Roy as the older alchemist turned around, the boy's face concerned and thoughtful. "You've never mentioned wanting kids before. Have you always wanted them? Why didn't you ever say anything, Roy?"

"The subject never came up," Roy said with a shrug, trying to move past Ed. The blond pushed his lover back against the wall and held him there, a frown on his face. "It's not a big deal, Ed. If you don't want kids then I can live with that."

"You can live with that?" the blond echoed, hurt clouding his golden gaze. "You could do without, but you would be happier if we had them."

"That's not what I said-"

"But it's what you meant," Ed interrupted, stepping away from his lover. "I don't understand why you've never mentioned this before. Do you honestly think I'm selfish enough to deny you something that would make you happy? I thought we had an honest relationship, Roy, one where we could tell each other everything," the younger man whispered intensely, a sure sign that he was terribly upset. Roy patted at the air to calm his partner, but Ed turned from him, continuing. "Is this the real reason you were so supportive of me going to visit? Normally I have to beg you and you mope around because you miss me so much, but this time you practically threw me out the door."

Roy wrapped his arms around his lover from behind, pulling him close and resting his forehead on the blond's shoulder. "Edward, you're everything to me. I could never ask for more than you. I do want children, I do, but not at the cost of your happiness. Nothing could possibly mean more to me than you," the raven-haired man confessed. Ed stood still and tense, still feeling somewhat betrayed. "You are so selfless, Ed. It's one of the things about you that makes me love you deeply. I know you. I know that if I had just come out and told you that I wanted to raise a child with you that you wouldn't hesitate for a second even if you truly had no desire to be a father. I know you would do that for me, but that's not what I want. I want you to want to be a parent _with_ me, to raise _our_ child _together_. I want this to be a mutual desire," Roy whispered, kissing Edward's neck in the spot that made the blond's knees go weak. Ed swore and leaned back heavily onto his lover for support.

"I admit that I had ulterior motives for encouraging you to go visit your family in Resembool," Roy continued. "I was hoping that by seeing the baby, and how close it brought Al and Winry, it would perhaps get you to at least think a little bit about maybe wanting to have a family with me. I know you're young yet, and the idea of being a father is an intimidating one, and I respect that. But I'm not, well, I'm not as young as you are, Ed," Roy said flushing a little at this admission. "I'm thirty-five. If I'm to be able to keep up with a child and see it raised and start a family of his or her own then we…ah…I mean…"

"We'd have to adopt soon," Ed finished for him, his voice strained.

Roy sighed, closing his eyes. He wouldn't force Ed into this, he just couldn't. "I'm sorry," Roy whispered, mentally cursing their age difference again. If he was just a little younger, or Ed a little older, things could be different. "I'm sorry I kept this from you. I'm sorry to burden you with this now. You're not ready for this, for kids, for parenting. I can see that. So don't worry about it, Ed. You are enough. As long as I have you, you are enough," Roy murmured, burying his face in the blond's hair.

"I-I never thought about it much before," Ed said, his voice still holding that strange high strained note. "You just never seemed the type to want kids. You never brought it up and I never asked. I just assumed. I wouldn't know what to do, where to start. I've never had a decent father figure in my life, well, except for Hughes, but I only knew him for a short time, not enough to learn what a father should be. I – what if I did something wrong, Roy? Wh-what if I'm not a good parent? I-I mean, I'm loud and rash and rough," the blond said nearly hysterical, his small body trembling lightly. "I have automail. What if I hurt the baby? And we're both alchemists and soldiers. What if something went wrong? If one or both of us got hurt or killed? Or what if, when the kid gets older, he or she gets into our alchemy notes and we're not here to prevent something from going wrong?"

At first Roy couldn't believe what he was hearing, but slowly a smile spread to his lips and he chuckled lowly, the sound gradually becoming louder and fuller. "Ed, Ed, slow down," Roy soothed, trying to reign in his laughter. "You're thinking too much, love. All kinds of people are parents. I know that you would be a fabulous father. You might be loud and rough on the edges, but I've never met another person who was as loving and thoughtful as you."

Ed tilted his head backwards so that he could meet Roy's smoldering, amused gaze. "B-but I-"

"It will be fine, Edward," Roy assured his blond. Really, he couldn't believe how frantic the younger alchemist was at just the thought of having a baby. He wished he could have seen Ed with his new nice to see how he handled her. If he had to take a guess then Roy would bet that Ed treated her like she was the most delicate piece of glass in existence. It was a charming thought. He'd have to call Alphonse later to confirm his theory. "I'm not going to force you into anything. Just think on it, please?" Roy asked. He didn't have much hope that Ed would ever agree to being a parent, but if he could get his partner to just think on it, even a little, then it was more than he felt he should ever ask of his lover.

Ed swallowed hard and nodded, his earlier feelings of hurt and betrayal shifting into ones of fear and anxiety.

Roy didn't miss the shift in the younger alchemist's mood and he claimed the blond's lips to calm him. "Whatever you decide, I'll still love you, Ed. Now help me finish with the groceries."


End file.
